burned into our collective consciousness. he was a man who accomplished a lot but he was taken too soon and we'll never know what he could have done. today with events all across the country, america honors the moment the impact and the man. the assassination of john f. kennedy. brian shactman here. we'll have much more on the events planned for the anniversary as well as a look back at the shooting itself, including some conspiracy theories. we'll also touch on today's other top stories including what is being called the nuclear option in the u.s. senate and gorng george w. bush's visit to the republican governors association. but we of course begin with a day of reflection. ceremonies will strietch

nationwide. 5,000 will fill dealey plaza in dallas. the site of the assassination. church bells will toll at 12:30, the time when he was shot. the impact affected not just the country, but an entire generation of americans. it provides some of our most iconic images of sorrow like of course young jfk jr. saluting his father. this was the headline then. kennedy slain on dallas street. and this is the headline today. today's editorial page claims even now it is a moment the city cannot the fully move beyond. long ago nicknamed the city of hate. in his final speech that day in ft. worth, kennedy proclaimed america's strength in the face of communism. >> so this country which desires only to be free, which desires to be secure, which desires to

deliver peace for 18 years under three different administrations has borne more than either share of the burden for more than its number of years. i don't think that we are fatigued or tired. we would leak to live as we once lived. but history will not permit it. we are still the ski stone for freedom and i think we will continue do as we have done in our past, our duty. . and the people of texas will be in the lead. so i'm glad to come. >> part of the lingering pain is that his death came without true closure. conspiracy theaters run rampant still today. we'll dig deeper here in a few minutes. on morning jo joe "inwe'll go ie

archives. what does the anniversary, this piece of history, mean to you? use #way too early. we will share the responses and give it really good time later in the show. in terms of the news of today, the power struggle on capitol hill reaching extreme levels both in the number of republican filibusters and now in the way democrats are dealing with it. yesterday the senate approved a measure to block the minority's power to filibuster certain presidential nominees. the so-called nuclear option is the most significant change to the rules of the upper chamber since 1975 that barely passed with 52 votes. through the five years of the obama presidency and this is your context, senate has held votes to he said filibuster 79 times. that's already more than double the amount during president bush's eight years in office. they can now end the debate with a simple majority. however, the new rule does not

apply to supreme court nominations or ledges late difference bills. and while the move helps democrats right now, that may not always be the case. yesterday harry reid and mitch mcconnell debated the matter receipts of the vote. >> it's time to change. it's time to change the senate before this institution becomes obsolete. you don't have to like the laws of the land, but do you have to respect the laws and abide by them. is senate working now? can anyone say the senate is working now? i don't think so. >> i realize this sort of wishful thinking might appeal to the uninitiated newcomers who served exactly zero days in the minority. but the rest of you guys in the conference should know better. if you want to play games, set yet another precede press press

you'll know doubt regret. >> president obama defended senate democrats hoping the measure will by pass some of the gridlock in washington. >> i realize neither party has been blameless for these tactics. they developed over years. and it seems as if they continually escalated. but today's pattern of obstruction, if jut just isn't normal. it's not the what our founders envisioned. the vote today is an indication that a majority of senators believe as i believe that enough is enough. the american people deserve better than politicians who run for election telling them how terrible government is and then devoting their time in elected office to trying to make government not work as on whift possible. >> senator reaea reid actually d

the tactics back in 2005. >> to move forward as contemplated by the majority is moving toward breaking rules to change the rules, that's improper. it will change the senate forever. that's not good. this a slippery slope. once you have a rule changed illegally. then you can do it again. >> new jersey governor chris christie full of surprises. he unexpectedly invited former president george w. bush for lunch at the arizona resort where the group is meeting. mr. bush talked about his experiences both as president and former governor. governor christie re-election strategy echoed similar things. christie warned against looking too far down the road. >> we have 36 races.

we have 20 incumbent governors up in 2014. and i think any one of us in our individual capacity or many of us as leaders of this organization on the executive committee start thinking about 2016 at our own pareril but wor at the peril of our colleagues. the possible deal to keep american forces on the ground in afghanistan, this morning it may be in jeopardy before afghan president karzai said yesterday that the security pact should not be signed until after next year's presidential election. that would delay the agreement until next april. white house officials are insisting the deal be hammered out by the end of this year. if the security agreement is not signed, administration officials say they will pull out all of the american forces stationed in afghanistan by the end of 2014. for the very first time, the u.s. marine corps has graduated a woman from its infantry training schedule. in fact, it graduated three out

of an original group of 15. the course includes a 12 mile march with an 80 pound backpack and several other combat related tests. the three graduates will move on to nonenfan friday jobs. women of course have been afternoon proved to assume cam bat rules, but the military is reviewing what specific roles they will be. regardless of state law, marijuana remains illegal under federal law. that's why what happened in colorado is worth watching. federal authorities haven't been totally passive about it. government a littles raided multiple marijuana dispensaries just 60s weeks before the first retail shops opened their doors. at least a dozen are located right in the denver area. they were based on potential violations of justice department federal guidelines which apply to states where marijuana laws have been loosened. those concern money laundering, out of state trafficking and distribution to minors.

big day on wall street yesterday. all three indices to the up side. the dow up 109 points and finishing its first ever session above the 16,000 mark. steve sedgwick live for us in london. >> good day to you. the markets are looking good after those previous losses earlier in the week. just redressing the balance somewhat for the bulls. but investor confidence not good in the politicians. no one seemed to come out at the latest global investors survey. the president's approval ratings have fallen to 38% from previous 50%. it's worse for the republicans, as well, down to away about 19% from the previous late september 28%. democrats in the house pretty much where they were before around about 30%. what is interesting is 52% of respond departme

respondents say another shutdown is expected. talking to bank of america, deutsche bank and barclays about getting funding together for a bid for time warner. no guarantees that any bid will materialize, but charter is backed by media and he's talked previously about the desperate need for more consolidation. so if they get the funding, there may be another tilt at twc before the end of the reayear. >> so tell me about hydro again fuel celled vehicles and whether it's a flash in the pan. >> apparently there is a an industry joke that hydrogen fuel-cell cars are already five years town thdown the road. toyota, honda and hyundai coming out with models trying to get mass market appeal. great cars in many ways. hydrogen and mix it with oxygen to create very low emissions, as

well and quick to refuel. only problem is where do you get your hydro again. refueling stations are not in abundance anywhere.gen. refueling stations are not in abundance anywhere. 2014, 2015. >> steve, have a good weekend. appreciate it. still ahead, jimmy graham and the saints thought their trip to atlanta would be a slam dunk. but it wound up being more balanced than you might expect. and much more of course on jfk. we'll delve into the conspiracy theories and why they remain a serious debate 50 years later. bill karins will have a check on weather, too. mine was earned orbiting the moon in 1971.

afghanistan in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

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thursday night football, falcons hosting the saints. second quarter, new orleans trailing 10-7. drew brees finds jimmy graham. watch what he does afterwards. he dunks it, but then he hurts the uprights. they were off kilter. this pretty much sums up the falcons season. matt ryan slides. might have gotten crushed. samuel jackson doesn't like it. he wanted him to go for the touchdown. i don't know. he ladhad a lot of guys, but ma you should try to score and win the game. they got a field goal and lost by four points. saints win 17-13. i want to turn our attention to pretty sad news in the world of major league baseball. michael wiener died yesterday,

15 months after announcing he had an inoperable brain tumor. he took over leadership of the union in 2009, he was 51 years old. almost across the board liked even on the owner side of baseball. worked through having brain cancer and there were tweets all across the twitterverse yesterday there players just obviously thanking him and being sad and his children go to my would ha wife's school. so a lot of people mourning today. we wish his family well. alex rodriguez' fate in the hands of an arbitrator after lawyers wrapping up their cases yesterday. the slugger's attorneys allowed for, quote, release all the evidence. legal team also preparing to take the case to federal court regardless of the decision, that's not expected up late decemb up late december or early january. buckle your seat belt, we have two buzzer beaters in one game.

kendall williams sends to o.t.. then alex kirk, what does he to, boom. so they force a second o.t. and end up winning the game. big guy has to be 7-feet. pretty sweet. 97-94 was the final. oklahoma city, second time this week a thunder fan does this. for 20 grand. unbelievable. afterwards he got a little love from jay-z. probably had a pair of socks worth 20 grand. but pretty cool either way. >> would you hit the backboard? >> try to go backboard. my buddy and i used to stay at the gym late and compete with half court shots and we'd get in trouble. the bank is the best way on go. >> probably make one out of 50? >> no. >> you can do better than that?

>> yes. we can hit the fwim. i guarantee you it would be more like one this 15. >> 10:00 a.m., we'll be at the gym. good morning, everyone. you won't be outside because it will be raining in many parts of the northeast. this is just light stuff going through. really just kind of nuisance team stuff, but it will be raining shortly in boston if it isn't already and in new york city. as far as the forecast goes, this weekend, active weather. cold air has sunk all the way down, 28 degrees in oklahoma city. we have freezing drizzle in texas, snow in northern new mexico. there is even now a winter storm watch up for dallas and ft. worth. we're also fin to go watch tcon the cold air. 1500 homes are estimated uninhabitab uninhabitable. have you seen this? >> i saw the tail he saend of programming earlier about that. >> look like someone just pulled

the chair out from under the house. literally just disintegrated in 30 seconds. just crazy video. i've never seen anything like that that quickly. but those poor people that don't have tell power obviously, don't have places to live, it will be freezing cold. high temperature 30 in chicago on saturday, windchills will be in the teens at night in the single dipping it digits and i it to the east coast. the giants/dallas game will be wind gusts of 40 miles per hour, windchills in the low teens. >> wow. bill, thank you very much. coming up on "morning joe" live from washington, d.c., the senate takes the nuclear option. what the rule change means now and what it could mean when republicans at some point retake the majority. and when we come back here,

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as we talked about, qtoday s the 50th anniversary of the jfk assassination. his health was one of the best kept secrets. he was on a variety of different medications including steroids, pain killers, anti-spasmodics, various antibiotics and

antihistamines. and at one point evenpsychotics changes brought on by all the other medications. a clear majority of americans still say we don't know the whole truth about who killed the president. in a recent gallup poll, 61% believe lee harvey oswald was part of a conspiracy. willie geist has more on why so many questions remain. >> reporter: about if you were around 50 years ago, you remember the exact moment you heard the news. >> a lot of us were crying. >> i remember my mother picking me up from school that day weeping. >> reporter: but for many, the yir jury is still out. >> i don't know if i'll ever know the real story in my lifetime. >> reporter: official story says

lee harvey oswald, former u.s. marine, acted alone firing three shots from the texas school book repository. that was finding of the warren commission, seven men including a future president, former ca director and chief justice of the supreme court tasked by president lyndon johnson with you ev uncovering the truth. >> the warren commission had crucial facts withheld from it and any reason only person says you you can't trust it. >> reporter: theorists say the investigation was shoddy. how could oswald possibly have fired three shots in as the lit as five second. and what about the so-called magic bullet that wounded kennedy before ending up in the thigh of john connelly. oliver stone famously gave his take in the controversial film

jfk. >> takes 1.6 seconds presumably in midair where it turns right, then left, right, then left. >> reporter: that classic scene later recreated on seinfeld with wayne knight rekrprising the demonstration. >> it pauses in midair, mind you, makes a left turn, and lands on newman's left thigh in that is one magic lugy. >> reporter: and then there is jack ruby. why would a dallas night club owner with alleged mafia ties shoot and kill oswald in the basement of the police station? ruby's explanation, to spare jackie kennedy the pain of a trial. but the theory persists that the mob wanted kennedy dead for a crackdown on organized crime along with his brother, the attorney general robert kennedy. questions are seemingly endless.

was kennedy targeted by the cia for the bay of pigs debacle? was he the victim of the united states military because his on that himself to war this vietnam? was fidel castro to blame, the kgb, perhaps even the secret service? some point to president lyndon johnson who was sworn in just 99 m minutes after kennedy was proceed announced dead. will we ever know the truth? >> i think it's unlikely that perhaps ever a majority of americans will subscribe to the idea that lee oswald acted alone. we're in a time that we're suspicious of what our government tells us. it is very hard to find one piece of reliable evidence that suggests that lee oswald killed john kennedy on behalf of a larger group. >> more than 1,000 sealed documents receipted to t ee eed the assassination are scheduled

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your thoughts on the kennedy assassination. it means remembering watching my matter and grandfather crying at the kitchen table. only time i saw either cry. 11 by the time i left high school we lost rfk. fond memory of my grandmother proudly hung this portrait in her apartment. "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ from dallas, texas the flash apparently official, president kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. central standard time. 2:00 eastern standard time. some 38 minutes ago.